Mattress



No. 620,923. Patented Mar. [4, I899.

' J. A. HILL.

MATTRESS.

(Afiplication filed'Apr. 19, 1897.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES .ljvrz'jvfazz wd/dim adiiorney me NORRIS nzrzns coFNOTO-LITHOU wAsmnstou, 0. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. HILL, OF RAVENSWOOD, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF' ONE- HALF TOA. D. COLE, OF MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY.

MATTRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,923, dated March14, 1899. Application filed April 19, 1897. Serial No. 632,895- (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. HILL, a citizen of the United States,residingat Ravenswood, in the county of Jackson and State of 'WestVirginia, have invented a new and useful Mattress, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to those pneumatic mattresses embodying aplurality of simultaneously-inflatable compartments or cells. Mattressesof this kind as heretofore generally constructed have consisted ofeither a plurallty of integral communicating cells or compartments orindependent cells having pipe connections between them to insure theinflation of all. The objection to mattresses of the former class isthat the usefulness of the entire mattress is destroyed should any oneof the cells become damaged or ruptured and that of the latter classbeing the general clumsiness and weight of the parts and owing to theimperfect arrange ment of the pipe connections the lack of evendistribution of the air among the cells when the mattress is in use.

It has been proposed to equip pneumatic mattresses when constructed as asingle large cell with braces to insure their proper and even distentioneven when under a greater pressure in one part than another; but so faras I am aware braces or stays have been provided for mattresses formedin a single cell only.

My object is the provision of a pneumatic mattress of thesimultaneously-inflatable multicell type of such improved constructionthat any cell or compartment can be removed,

with facility if ruptured or damaged and replaced by another cell, sothat the usefulness of the device is only impaired during thetimeconsumed to make the change.

Afurther object is to provide an improved multicell pneumatic mattressin which the cells communicate in such a novel manner that the aircrowded from the cell or cells receiving the greater part of the Weightof the person into the other cells acts as a cushion for the weight.

Another object is to provide a multicell pneumatic mattress in whicheach cell is braced or stayed independently of its companions in a novelmanner, thereby insuring the even distention of each cell at all timesregardless of the condition of the remaining cells and facilitating theremoval and replacement of the cells when necessary.

A still further object is the provision of an improved pneumaticmattress which will be cool and comfortable and light, strong, anddurable, as well as being capable of production at small cost.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are accomplished,first, by the provision of an improved pneumatic mattress composed of aplurality of independent and removable cells or compartments which areassembled side by side and when so assembled are in air communicationand adapted for simultaneous inflation; second, by brac ing each cellindependently of its companion cells in a novel manner, whereby eachcell constitutes an independent unit, and, third, by constructing andretaining the several cells in an improved manner, whereby they areadapted for coaction in a novel way.

The invention will be described in detail hereinafter and the novelfeatures embodied in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing one of thecompartments in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionalviewthereof. Fig. 3 isan enlarged detail sectional view of one of thecompartments.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like numeralsof reference.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a rectangular or other shapedtick or casing of thin rubber, rubber-cloth, or other flexible material.

2 designates a series of oblong or other shaped air compartments orcells which are composed of strong pliable paper, being glued at the topand bottom, as well as at each end, Within and to the tick or casing 1.As will be readily understood, this tick or casing 1 serves to hold theseveral air compartments or cells together in such manner that theyconstitute a regularly-formed and complete mattress and is left open atits opposite ends, as clearly illustrated, whereby any one or more ofthe compartments may be readily removed therefrom independently of theother compartments for purposes of repair, &c. The contiguous walls ofthe several compartments are provided with holes or perforations 3,which register one with the other and permit of the passage of air fromthe first compartment throughout the others when the mattress is to beinflated and also allow the air to escape to the several compartmentsfrom those compartments which receive the direct weight of the person,thus providing the necessary give or spring to the mattress without theemployment of supplementary springs, such as are usual with the ordinaryhair or husk mattress. These compartments or cells extend the entirewidth from side to side and from top to bottom of the outer casing, andwhile they are shown in the drawings as running in a transversedirection they may be located longitudinally, if so desired.

To prevent bulging of the sides of the mattress when weight is broughtto bear upon it, I provide each of the compartments with a series offlexible stays 4, extending longitudinally and secured to the oppositeends thereof in any desired manner. The number of these stays may bevaried and when placed within each compartment are arranged parallelwith the sides thereof, after which they are made taut by gatheringtogether at their centers by' means of a band, as illustrated, or manypreferred manner. It may be found necessary in some instances to providestays 6, extending from the bottom to the top of each of thecompartments to insure the retention of their proper shape.

For inflating my improved mattress I provide an inflating-valve 7 of thecommon or ordinary form, located at any desired point upon one of thecompartments, by means of which the several compartments maybe filledwith air or water, as desired. To make the mattress even more soft andpleasant to rest upon, a cotton or hair top 8 may be placed upon theupper surface of the mattress, in which case the whole should beinclosed within a second suitable tick or casing.

By my improved construction and arrangement of parts I have provided amattress of exceeding simplicity and lightness and one which can befolded within a small space for transportation. Should one of thecompartments become punctured or damaged and unfit for use, the same maybe removed and a new one can be readily placed in position withoutdamage to the other compartments, and several compartments may beinterchanged if they become unevenly stretched or bulged, which Ibelieve to be a new feature in the art.

Without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention orsacrificing any of its advantages the same is capable of variousmodifications, and I therefore do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts asillustrated and described.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-== A mattress of the class described, consisting of acontaining tick or casing, a series of removable compartments, eachcompartment being entirely separate from the others, and constructed ofpliable paper, having their contiguous walls perforated to register onewith the other, and each compartment braced by a series of stays, saidstays being brought together and fastened at their middle points to forma series of braces drawing from a common center, substantially as shownand described,

JAMES A. HILL.

Witnesses:

D. Q. MANN, LILY A. MORGAN.

